Asako Sagoten
Asako Sagoten was the only son of Lady Asako and Asako Yogo. Yogo's Curse When Sagoten was a boy during the War Against Fu Leng, the tides of war were not kind to Sagoten's family. His mother, a healer, was in the support units of the Phoenix Clan armies and his father was a general of the troops. In the year 36, during one of Yogo's battles, he broke the protection enchanments on the Castle of Murder, and the forces of the Phoenix conquered it. In retaliation, Yogo was cursed by Fu Leng to betray the one he most loved, his wife Asako. To Change the World, by Rich Wulf Yogo was crushed and on the verge of requesting seppuku when Bayushi offered him a place among the Scorpion, where he could be safe because Yogo did not love Bayushi. Yogo accepted and left, never to return to his home or family. Way of the Phoenix, pp. 23-24 Asako was rendered distraught by Yogo's absence. She left the war and returned home to her son, but she had changed for the worse and had become of very bitter temperament. Sagoten was affected even more deeply, vowing to avenge his father's cruel abandonment. Even Shiba's generous offer of a place to live and begin a new life did not convince Sagoten to fogive his father. Way of the Phoenix, p. 44 Isawa's Student Sagoten became one of Isawa's finest students, especially powerful in Water magic, and assisted Isawa and Shiba in the defense of Toshi Tetsuharu. When the city could not be saved, Isawa realized that the house of Isawa could not remain safe from the threat of Fu Leng. Isawa offered Sagoten and his finest students to aid in the war effort, but Shiba would not accept Sagoten. Sagoten's father Asako Yogo was already committed to the war, and Shiba could not ask Asako to sacrifice both her husband and son to the war. Fires of the Phoenix, by Shawn Carman Isawa's Wish Eventually Shinsei appeared and told the Clans how to defeat Fu Leng: the Seven Thunders. After much debate, Shiba finally managed to convince Isawa to join the Little Teacher, offering to protect his family. Though Shiba's promise is spoken of more often, Isawa also requested a commitment from Asako. He required that Sagoten, upon his gempukku, marry his daughter, Isawa Akiko, uniting the houses of the Phoenix. Sagoten, seeing how he could use the situation to inflame his father's enmity towards the Isawa family, agreed to Isawa's terms. During Isawa's last public announcement, the shugenja announced the pending wedding of his daughter. Preparations began immediately. Among them, by Isawa's request, was to be the construction of a grand elemental masterpiece created by the shugenja of the clan -- Isawa and Asako. In a true gesture of peace, Isawa intended the creation to be a testament to the union of the families of the Phoenix Clan and a monument to the peace that would be built between them. After Isawa's departure into the Shadowlands, the work on the construct slowed, but the plans for the wedding continued. The newly-built Shrine of the Ki-Rin was chosen as the location for the ceremony. Emissaries from across Rokugan were planning to be in attendance. Cancelling the Wedding All wedding plans came to a halt when after one of Sagoten's cousins killed an Isawa in a duel erupting from an argument over the Wish. Secrets of the Phoenix, p. 87 A rift had begun when the Isawa family somehow discovered that Shiba had given Asako unknown knowledge that was somehow magical in nature. The Isawa were outraged and demanded that the Asako share the information. The Asako refused. The Isawa, inconsolable, ejected Asako and her family from Gisei Toshi. The wedding was cancelled, and work on the magical gift was ordered stopped. By order of the Emperor Hantei Genji the Wish was ordered removed from the grasps of the two squabbling families and hidden. Way of the Phoenix, p. 46 Sagoten's folly Decades passed before the Wish was located. In the year 72 Sagoten tried to use it to make Akiko love him again. The Wish killed Sagoten and Akiko Imperial Histories 2, p. 34 and then destroyed Shiro Akiko, Secrets of the Phoenix, p. 9 proving the Emperor's fears were not ill-founded. The Shiba recovered the construct and hid it once again. Secrets of the Phoenix, pp. 87-88 The story of Sagoten was often related to young Asako as a warning about the dangers of unbalanced emotions. Secrets of the Phoenix, p. 44 Warning against the Shadows In 1132 the borders between the Spirit Realms thinned due to the activities of the Lying Darkness. Sagoten's spirit sent a warning through Agasha Hamanari, a young seer. He was plagued with visions of a devastating assault on the Spirit Realms by the Darkness. Hamanari advsed his Lord Agasha Gennai, newly appointed Master of Air. Most of the Council disregarded the warning, as the Mantis Invasion was a most evident threat. Hidden Emperor, p. 65 Sagoten's Restitution Sagoten returned through Oblivion's Gate in the Twelfth century. During the War of Spirits that followed, Sagoten used Isawa's Last Wish to create spirits to guard the Wish from being used improperly. Because his motives were pure, the Wish created the Children of the Last Wish. Secrets of the Phoenix, p. 88 In the year 1149 Asako Sagoten committed seppuku to avoid being used to complete the Last Wish for Hantei XVI, and when shugenja loyal to Hantei XVI arrived, the Children destroyed them. Secrets of the Phoenix, p. 11 See Also * Isawa's Last Wish External Links * Asako Sagoten (Fire and Shadow) Category:Phoenix Clan Members Category:Returned Spirits